Inspector leads team to national success

Pine Rivers Police Patrol Group Inspector Darren Smith has coached a team of hockey players from across the state to a national championship.

Inspector Smith took the Queensland Under 15 boys’ team to Newcastle last month, returning home undefeated and with a 5-1 win in against Western Australia in the final.

He’s particularly proud of the achievement because while most state sides fit in multiple training sessions ahead of the nationals, that’s not the case for Queensland.

“Some states have the capacity to train together, however Queensland don’t because of the distance and the size of the state,” Inspector Smith said.

Bright future

“Our preparation is limited to a two-day training camp before we go away, so that makes their achievement even better.”

Inspector Smith said the standard was always high at a national level and he was very proud of how the Queensland cohort performed.

“It’s always a tough competition with the 12 teams from around the country and it was great to work with such a committed and professional group of young men – you never know where they will end up in the future.”

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